Hundreds of thousands of people have joined marches across Portugal to protest against government austerity measures.
In Lisbon an estimated 200,000 demonstrators took to the streets after the announcement of a wave of spending cuts and tax changes designed to avoid the economic crashes suffered by Greece and Ireland.
The marchers, carrying banners and placards, chanted: "Fat politicians, skinny people".
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Yesterday’s peaceful protests spread across the country with 80,000 marching in Porto and thousands of others taking part in a further nine cities. They were organised by a group known as Precarious Generation, which used a blog and social networking websites, including Facebook, to organise and assemble supporters.
The group’s manifesto, posted online, states: “We stand here, today, because we can no longer accept the situation that we have been dragged into. We stand here, today, because every day, we strive hard to be deemed worthy of a dignified future, with stability and safety in all areas of our lives.
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“We protest so that those responsible for our uncertain situation – politicians, employers, and ourselves – act together towards a rapid change in this reality that has become unsustainable.
“We are the highest-qualified generation in the history of our country. For this reason, we won’t let down to tiredness, frustration or lack of future prospects. We do believe we have all the resources and tools to provide a bright future to our country and ourselves.
“This is not a protest against any one particular generation. Quite simply, we are not, nor do we want to, wait passively for problems to sort themselves out. We protest towards a solution, of which we want to be a part of."
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The Portuguese government announced the new wave of austerity measures on Friday aimed at bringing its budget deficit down to 4.6% this year. But those opposing the cuts warn of rising unemployment, difficult working conditions for young people and falling living standards.
"The announcement of more austerity is just complete shamelessness. This rally is the start of a wave of protests," said Joana Manuel, 34, a university teacher who is set to lose her job at the end of the year.
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"This is a spontaneous movement against precariousness. This is a very important day that mobilises the whole country," said Eva Santos, a 28-year-old student.
The organised march follows several similar events last year when a first wave of cuts was announced.